Sophie Ryder (British, b. 1963)

Sophie Ryder was born in London, England, in 1963 and studied at the Royal Academy of Arts, London. Inspired by Picasso, Goya and Henry Moore, she famously developed the ‘Lady Hare’ as a counterpart to Ancient Greek mythology's Minotaur. A very distinctive element of Sophie’s sculpture is her concern with hybrids; not only the Minotaur, but hares combined with human features. The ‘Lady Hare’ has occupied her imagination for many years and the human parts are based on the artist's own body. As Ryder explains: "I sculpt characters and beings - the dogs, the hares, the minotaurs - are all characters beyond animal form. I am not interested in making a replica. If you would put a real hare next to one of mine you would see great differences!”